New! Up And Coming Giveaways At Glarysoft

Software Giveaways! Freebies! Try before you buy! If you like it – pay whatever you want! And, I’m sure I’ve failed to list any number of similar marketing schemes. Who can keep track of them all.  

Internet users would be hard-pressed indeed, to have not noticed the  proliferation of “giveaway sites” that have popped up over the last few years – some of which are simply trash – both in presentation, and selection.

Personally, I have no interest in running an obstacle course (many of these sites test a user’s patience), to obtain an application I’ll likely delete from my HD within a few days. Nor, I suspect, do most users.

Recently, I’ve noticed a type of strategic alliance between well established developers with a reputation for excellence and, lesser known (and perhaps late to the party) developers.

For example, this past week Serif Software, in one of their occasional marketing emails, wrote – We’ve got great news! As a valued Serif customer, you can snap up Zemana AntiLogger for an amazing $19.99.

Let me point out that Zemana AntiLogger is a “best in class” security application and, Zemana is not late to the party. (I’ll post a new review on this app in the next few weeks).

Ah, serendipity. As I’m writing this, as luck would have it, I just received another marketing email from Serif – Award-winning TuneUp Utilities just CA$19.95 – that’s 60% off!

Fix, speed up and maintain up to 3 PCs, all for just $19.95 when you download TuneUp Utilities 2013 today! That’s a massive 60% saving and $30 off the $49.99 list price, only with this special email offer.

TuneUp Utilities – another outstanding application – familiar to regular readers, who will remember the free license giveaways we’ve sponsored here in the last few years.

But, I digress.

Glarysoft – the developer of the highly rated Glary Utilities (well know to regular readers here), has taken a slightly different tack (a strategic alliance nevertheless) – sponsoring a 24-hour giveaway program offering the pro versions of popular applications – FREE.

From the site:

Everyday the website will provide users with a 24-hour giveaway program. All of the programs that on the giveaway list are the pro version or non-free version. Generally, users have to pay to get it. During the 24-hour giveaway period, users can download the software from the website according to their specific needs without spending one penny.

Users can see the software description, original price, time left and the Get it now button. When users want to know more details about this software, they can click on the button to the software page. There you can know the detailed info about the giveaway software and download it freely.

Take a look at what’s on offer today, and through the coming days.

Aunsoft SWF Converter on January 10, 2013 – Original $69.00. Now Free!

 

Converts SWF to almost all popular video formats
Converts SWF/FLV with Alpha to lossless raw video/RGBA32 (*.avi)
Supports Flash videos V6, V7, V8, V9, V10 format
Supports converting SWF to 1080P, 720P, 480P and other
Supports latest devices: iPad, iPod, iPhone 3GS, Android phones.

USB Stick Encryption 4.0 on January 11, 2013 – Original $39.95. Now Free!

GiliSoft USB Stick Encryption helps you password protect USB drives, Thumb drives, Memory sticks, Pen drives, Jump drives and Flash drives.

A secure USB drive with password protection is a must these days as the data that it contains may cost you millions of dollars if stolen or lost. With GiliSoft USB Stick Encryption your USB flash drives and all other external storage devices can be very easily password protected.

Tipard MOD Converter 6.1.52 on January 12, 2013 – Original $29.00. Now Free!

Tipard MOD Converter is the best awards-winning HD video converting software for various video camera fans. It can convert MOD,TOD, MPEG, MPG, MPV, MP4, VOB, etc files to the popular video formats: MP4, MPG, MOV, VOB, AVI, 3GP, FLV, HD H.264, HD WMV, HD AVI, etc.

Besides, it can help you convert videos to various editing software, like Avid Media Composer, Sony Vegas, etc. Moreover, it supports 4 languages and the latest portable devices: like HTC, Samsung Galaxy, iPhone 5, iPad 4, etc.

iCare Data Recovery Professional 5.0 on January 13,2013 – Original $89.95. Now Free!

iCare Data Recovery Professional works perfectly with hardware RAID and hard drive, USB drive, SD card, memory card, etc. It provides the comprehensive data recovery solution for computer users.

It could recover files from formatted drive, RAW file system, drive has not formatted error, RAW drive, undelete files emptied recycle bin, recover files due to partition lost, system crash, software crash, bad boot sector, missing boot sector, bad MBR, $MFT damaged, lost partition table, lost or damaged FAT, virus infections, power failure, and other unknown data loss…

MacX DVD Ripper Pro for Windows 7.0.0 – on January 14, 2013 – Original $39.95. Now Free!

MacX DVD Ripper Pro for Windows is an ultimate DVD ripping software to rip both homemade and encrypted DVD movies to all sorts of format like MP4, MOV, AVI, H.264, FLV, MKV, etc.

It helps you to easily transfer DVD to video files playable on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android, Microsoft, Sony devices, etc.

You can also copy DVD to multi-track MPEG2 file with all videos/audios/subtitles within several minutes. So you can keep your DVDs safe from scratched, broken, and enjoy the DVD movies on the go.

Password Organizer 6 – on January 15, 2013  – Original $19.99. Now Free!

Your passwords are protected by the famous AES encryption (Advanced Encryption Standard) so that it is impossible to read your data without knowledge of your master password. If you like to export or print out all your passwords, of course 1-abc.net Password Organizer offers you such useful features as well.

Secure and generate your password data, remember only one password and concentrate on other important things in life with 1-abc.net Password Organizer!

Bonus:

To get free notification of giveaways on your desktop – download Glarysoft Giveaway.

Crave World Clock – 20 Free Licenses Giveaway

“Young men know the rules, but old men know the exceptions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes.

So, being a grumpy “old man”, from time to time I make an exception to the rule that I don’t get involved in software license giveaways. And, this is one of those “relax the rule” times – with good reason.

Manoj Shinde, the developer of DiskAnalyzer Pro, and currently the principal of Reflection Software Solutions based in Aurangabad, India – recently offered to provide 20 free licenses for his company’s, Crave World Clock, to Tech Thoughts readers. I accepted Manoj’s offer gratefully.

Reflection Software describes Crave World Clock as follows:

Crave World Clock is a must-have world clock software for people who need to keep track of current time in different cities and time zones around the world. The current time can be displayed on a real world map along with day and night effects.

You can add cities of your choice on the world map. You can set the world clock as your desktop wallpaper or use it as a screensaver. You can add analog clock and digital clock on your desktop to keep track of time for multiple cities.

So, how would you benefit from installing Crave World Clock on your system? It’s fair to acknowledge that perhaps you wouldn’t – but, if the global business environment is the place where you hang your hat – like I do – Crave World Clock offers a number of features which could make your life just a little easier.

Click on graphic to expand.

Let me give you a simple personal example – it’s not at all unusual for me to speak directly with developers, software vendors, or service providers by telephone or Skype – from such diverse places as China, Romania, Croatia, India, America, Australia, Turkey……. Since global business operates 24/7, it’s obviously important to be aware of local times, and Crave World Clock has made that just a little easier for me.

As the “fact facts” below indicate – the application offers much more than simple acting as a global local time reminder.

Fast facts:

Set world clock with real world map as desktop wallpaper – The real world map with multiple city time displayed on it can be used as a desktop wallpaper while the software will be minimized to system tray. So you can easily track current time for multiple cities right on your desktop without much interference in your work.

Use world clock with current time as your desktop screensaver – Crave World Clock can be used as a desktop screensaver. So when your PC is idle, it will display world map with current time for selected cities, day / night effects . It will be updated every minute to reflect current time.

Place analog and digital clocks on your desktop for multiple cities – You can add multiple analog or digital clocks on your desktop to see current time for the cities of your choice. You can choose a clock theme for the clock from a pre-defined list of stunning clock themes.

Add reminders regarding your “things to do” for different time zones – Use the reminder tool to get notifications (with sound) about your phone calls, follow ups or things to do related with cities around the world.

Quickly find time for any city with Time Finder tool – You can use the time finder tool which you can access with a shortcut key to quickly find current time for any city or country. Just type in the city or country name then current date/time will be displayed for that city.

Multi-year calendar view at a glance – This tool displays calendar for a year at a glance so you need not browse through months to refer to future dates or dates falling in other months.

Quick access to International dialing codes – If you frequently need to make international calls then you can refer to international dialing codes list for all countries available with a shortcut key.

System requirements: Windows XP, Vista, Win 7

You can download Crave World Clock software and try the full version free for 14 days.

Download at: Reflection Software Solutions

Purchase: $14 USD.

Giveaway procedure:

To enter the giveaway contest to win a free license, simply add a comment at the end of this article. On February 17, 2012, all comments will be added to the online List Randomizer, and the first 20 names that come up, will win a free license for Crave World Clock.

You don’t need to write a paragraph – “enter me”, or something similar, is enough. There’s no need for me to acknowledge your entry, but rest assured, if you comment – you’re in.

If you’re a lucky winner, the developer will contact you directly and provide you with the free license.

Good luck!

Free Dexpot – Virtual Desktops To The Max!

Dexpot (latest release May 29, 2011), is a very cool application which, in the freeware version, will allow you to work with up to twenty separate and distinct virtual Desktops. For example, you could be working with your Internet browser on one Desktop, word processor on another, gaming on another …….. The possibilities are endless, really.

Personally, I find the ability to be able to copy and paste between Desktops, a major productivity enhancer.

Since many of the graphics in this review are Desktop screen shots, and quite large, it’s necessary to click on these graphics in order to view the full effect.

The application is highly configurable  as the following two screen shots indicate.

Each desktop can be configured independently to suit specific needs – including resolution, sounds, icons, background, and more – as the following screen grab indicates.

All controls are easily reachable from the Windows notification icon.

By clicking on the following screen capture to expand to its original 1682 pixels, you can readily see that there are four Desktops open. The focus is currently on Desktop two, where Internet Explore is running.

Using the application’s Windows catalogue command, in the following screen capture I’ve illustrated what’s open on Desktop One.

Desktop Two.

Desktop Three.

When you’re ready to close up shop – you’ll have the option of closing open applications, or moving them to the main Desktop.

Fast facts:

Desktop Manager – Your small companion for presentations and every-day desktop switching.

Settings – A clean dashboard which offers everything you need for total control.

Window catalogue – Have you ever seen windows tiling? No? Well, it is about time then.

Configure desktops – It is hard to believe how independent virtual desktops can be.

Desktop Windows – How can one describe such functional glory in three lines?

Desktop Preview – In case you want to know what is up on other desktops.

Full-screen preview – Microsoft XP Powertoy, just more beautiful, simple, and better. Full-size.

Desktop Rules – This small but powerful component helps to distribute windows.

System requirements: Windows XP, Vista, Win 7. (64-bit compatible)

Download at: Developer’s site (Dexpot)

Dexpot to go – Dexpot portable: Download Dexpot portable if you want to use Dexpot on a mobile storage device (e.g. USB stick). If you need to make your current version of Dexpot portable, click here.

Note: For private use only.

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SPAMfighter Pro – Ten License Giveaway!

SPAMfighter has generously provided us with 10 free licenses for their award winning flagship product, SPAMfighter Pro.

To enter the contest to win a free license, simply add a comment at the end of this article. On January 14, 2011, all comments will be added to the online List Randomizer, and the first 10 names that come up, will win a free license for this award winning application.

As with previous giveaways, you don’t need to write a paragraph – “enter me”, or something similar, is enough. There’s no need for me to acknowledge your entry, but rest assured, if you comment – you’re in.

Good luck!

Read the following review, and I’m sure you’ll agree; this is definitely a contest worth entering!

SPAMfighter Pro:

 

The view that somehow Web based email is safer than a desktop-based email client, since Web based email clients such as Gmail, Hotmail and others, supposedly filter out all dangerous or unwanted content, is not an opinion that I entirely agree with. This view does not line up with my personal experiences.

The fact is, many desktop-based email clients can be superior in this area, since they offer advanced security options, as well as junk mail filters, and anti-phishing protection.

SPAMfighter, is a fee based (also available as a free version), anti-spam desktop application, designed for both typical at-home users, and business users, which continuously filters e-mail, to eliminate spam and protect users against phishing, and e-mail-borne viruses.

Each time you check your email in your email client, SPAMfighter automatically checks your mail against the SPAMfighter servers list of known spam messages. If a message is identified as spam, it is automatically moved to the Spam folder.

I’m a big fan of community based security applications such as WOT, and Immunet Protect, to name just two. SPAMfighter has embraced this community driven philosophy, and has built community-based filtering technology into the application which exploits the power of a very large community of users.

Here’s how that works: When a new e-mail arrives, it is automatically tested by SPAMfighter. If it’s spam, it will be instantly moved to your SPAMfighter folder. If you receive a spam mail that is not detected, just click on a single button, and the spam mail is removed from the rest of the 7,417,522 SPAMfighters in 228 countries/areas in seconds. In this way, very few people in the community will ever see the spam mail.

Setup is uncomplicated and straightforward.

Additional functionality can be accessed from the email client toolbar.

Fast facts:

Award winning technology to block spam

Protects all the email accounts on your PC

Protects against “phishing”, identity theft, and other email frauds

Privacy Guaranteed – we don’t see any of your email

Protects against “phishing”, identity theft, and other email frauds

Spam abuse reporting with one click

Unique language filtering tool – Stop emails in languages you don’t understand

Protection of multiple email accounts

Blacklist domains and emails

Automatic whitelist management

Interface in multiple languages

Option to move the toolbar in Microsoft Outlook

Free phone support

Unlimited Blacklist/Whitelist entries

If you run a desktop-based email client, then SPAMfighter is definitely worth taking a look at.

Note: SPAMfighter in basic mode, is free for individual users.

Supported Clients: Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, and Thunderbird, as well as for businesses in Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes environments, or even those seeking a 3rd party hosted solution.

System requirements: Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Windows 7 (32bit and 64 bit).

Languages: English, German, Spanish, Chinese, French, Italian, Greek, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Suomi, Japanese, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Thai, Turkish and Danish.

Download at: SPAMfighter (If you decide not to buy a Pro license, you will be converted to the free Standard version when the trial expires).

To get the most out of SPAMfighter Pro take a look at the Beginners Guide here.

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Download A Bagful of Free Microsoft Software

Surprisingly, many computer users are not aware that Microsoft offers literally hundreds of free applications. These free applications range from highly specialized system applications, down to the type of applications average users can make good use of on a daily basis.

The following is just a small sampling of these free applications, broken down by category.

Security:

Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials, which incorporates antivirus, antispyware and rootkit protection, all under one roof, was released by Microsoft last year as a free  replacement application for Windows Live OneCare.

Microsoft Security Essentials is easy to set up and run, particularly for new users. And, the interface is positively simple offering Quick Scan, Full Scan, or Custom Scan.

Download at: Microsoft

RootkitRevealer v1.71

RootkitRevealer is an advanced rootkit detection utility. It runs on Windows NT 4 and higher and its output lists Registry and file system API discrepancies that may indicate the presence of a user-mode or kernel-mode rootkit. RootkitRevealer successfully detects many persistent rootkits including AFX, Vanquish and HackerDefender.

Download at: Microsoft

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

To help you assess the overall state of security on your computer, Microsoft provides a free scanning tool – Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA), which will scan your system and provide you with a report on your computer’s security, based on Microsoft security recommendations.

MBSA includes both a graphical and a command line interface that can perform local or remote scans, of Microsoft Windows systems.

Download at: Microsoft

Utilities:

SyncToy 2.1

SyncToy 2.1 is a free application that synchronizes files and folders between locations. Typical uses include sharing files, such as photos, with other computers and creating backup copies of files and folders.

SyncToy can manage multiple sets of folders at the same time; it can combine files from two folders in one case, and mimic renames and deletes in another case. Unlike other applications, SyncToy actually keeps track of renames to files and will make sure those changes get carried over to the synchronized folder.

Download at: Microsoft

Process Explorer

Find out what files, registry keys and other objects processes have open, which DLLs they have loaded, and more. This uniquely powerful utility will even show you who owns each process.

Download at: Microsoft

Autoruns

See what programs are configured to startup automatically when your system boots and you login. Autoruns also shows you the full list of Registry and file locations where applications can configure auto-start settings.

Download at: Microsoft

File Storage

Windows Live SkyDrive – 25 GB of free online storage

Store, access, and share thousands of documents, photos, and Microsoft Office files on Windows Live SkyDrive. SkyDrive password-protects your files so you control who has access to them.

Download at: Microsoft

Money Management

Office Accounting Express 2009

Even if you don’t run an office, you can still use this terrific application to managing your credit cards, and bank accounts, and if you have a PayPal account, you’ll find it easier to complete transactions using Office Accounting Express.

If, on the other hand you do run a small business, you’ll find increased functionality within this program, including  the ability to handle payroll, vendors,  invoices, quotes, cash sales, and more.

Note: This application is no longer available directly from Microsoft. Download is still available at the link below.

Download at: Download.com

Web Development

Visual Studio 2010 Express

Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition is an incredibly functional and easy-to-use free application that will output a unique, custom designed website, to promote your club, hobby or business, or to put your favorite family/holiday photos online.

It couldn’t be easier. As Microsoft says – “Get started quickly by becoming familiar with the Visual Web Developer environment with the Introduction to Visual Web Developer 2008 video”.

If you are an amateur, or even if you are a proficient web site developer, Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition, will surprise you with the professional quality that you can achieve with this application.

Download at: Microsoft

System Virtualization

Virtual PC 2007

Regular readers of this site are probably familiar with the benefits of running in a virtual environment (a virtual machine acts like a standalone computer), while surfing the Internet, or while testing new software. Microsoft’s Virtual PC application allows even less technically inclined users to run in this mode, in a way that’s easy to understand, and easy to use.

Download at: Microsoft

Web Based Applications

Windows Live Essentials 2011

Do more with Windows on your PC with free programs for photos, movies, instant messaging, email, social networking, and more. Get it all in one simple download.

Download at: Microsoft

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Fresh WebSuction – Free Offline Browser

Offline browsers are pretty cool applications – they can give you just a little more control over the Internet.

With an offline browser you can download websites ,or parts of a website, store locally, and then view the saved site at your convenience, while offline. If you’re on a dial-up Internet connection, you can add cost saving to the convenience factor – once the site is downloaded, you can disconnect.

Fresh WebMaster, the developers of the highly recommended Fresh UI Windows tweaking application, have just released Fresh WebSuction, a free offline browser application that’s worth considering if offline browsing is your thing.

The user interface is simply, and straightforward, as the screen capture illustrates:

Create a new project by clicking the “New” button on tool bar or choose “File |New Project” from the main menu.

Enter the URL in the address field and change the Project Name and Level setting if necessary, all other Properties information will be set by default.

Click the Run Now button, to start the download.

That’s it!

To view the downloaded files offline:

Open the application.

From the Project Content tree select the file that you want to view and double-click it, or right-click then select “Open”.

Or, from Download List tab right-click on any file then select “Open”.

The screen capture below, shows the results of opening “Test 2”, for offline viewing.

Fast facts:

Download and save an entire Website.

Download and save particular sections of a Website.

Download up to 50 files simultaneously, thus large amounts of information can be retrieved in very little time.

View saved web content offline.

File types: HTML, Images,Audio,Video,Documents,Archived,User-defined and others.

File extensions : htm, html, shtm, shtml, htms, htmlx, asp, pl, stm, stml,idc, htx, xsp, xml, cfm, cgi, htmp, php, php3, nsf, jsp, aspx.

System requirements: Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000, Me

Download at: Fresh WebMaster (registration required).

Are you into Linux? If you are, then checkout Webhttrack, a free (GPL), easy-to-use offline browser utility.

Note: You can of course, save individual web pages for offline viewing, by using the File – Save Page As function, in your Browser.

As an alternative, if you’re a Firefox user, you might consider ScrapBook, a Firefox addon which is designed to save both web pages, and sites.

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Download Cloudmark DesktopOne – A Free Anti-spam Desktop Application

When Mark Twain made the comment “The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated”, he might have been talking about the desktop-based email client. Mozilla, with the release of Thunderbird 3.1.2 just a few days ago, obviously doesn’t believe in the premature death of desktop-based email clients.

The view that somehow Web based email is safer than a desktop-based email client, since Web based email clients such as Gmail, Hotmail and others, supposedly filter out all dangerous or unwanted content, is not an opinion that I entirely agree with. This view does not line up with my personal experiences.

The fact is, many desktop-based email clients can be superior in this area, since they offer advanced security options, as well as junk mail filters, and anti-phishing protection.

After having my principal Gmail account hacked earlier this year, the idea that Google, and others (who are motivated by profit only – something you need to keep in mind), store my emails indefinitely, is less than appealing. It’s not my idea of safe, or hacker proof security.

As well, Web based emails, including deleted emails, will be released to appropriate authorities based on a court order. There goes both security, and privacy. Of course if you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about, right? Hah!

Regular readers are aware that I’m a big fan of community based security applications such as WOT, and Immunet Protect, to name just two. Expanding on this concept, Cloudmark, a messaging security company, has built community-based filtering technology (supported by a community of over a Billion users), into Cloudmark DesktopOne.

Cloudmark DesktopOne, is a free (also available on a fee basis), anti-spam desktop application, designed for both typical at-home users, and business users, which continuously filters e-mail, to eliminate spam and protect users against phishing, and e-mail-borne viruses

Here’s How it works:

Fast facts:

Quick, easy, automatic setup – Cloudmark DesktopOne installs in seconds, then automatically detects email accounts on your computer and begins filtering them with a click of a button.

Filters Even When Your Email Program is Closed – Cloudmark DesktopOne works independently of your email program to block spam around the clock, even when your email program is closed.

Manage Multiple Email Accounts in One Window – When you’re in Pro mode, the Accounts window displays your protected email accounts, with statistics about how many spam messages were blocked for each one. Open this window to configure your Cloudmark DesktopOne to filter, sort, and delete spam.

Simple Online Account Management – Manage your Cloudmark subscription in a convenient web-based interface.

If you run a desktop-based email client, then Cloudmark DesktopOne is definitely worth taking a look at.

Note: Cloudmark DesktopOne in basic mode, is free for individual users to filter one e-mail account into a single spam folder. Users, businesses and households, who need to manage multiple e-mail accounts and folders can upgrade to Cloudmark DesktopOne in pro mode for $19.95 annually.

Supported Clients: Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, Microsoft Windows Mail, and Mozilla Thunderbird.

System requirements: Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit), Windows Vista (32 and 64 bit), and Windows XP.

Download at: Cloudmark

About Cloudmark:

Cloudmark, Inc. is a global leader in carrier-grade messaging infrastructure and security solutions, delivering the industry’s fastest, most accurate and most scalable messaging platform for fixed, mobile and social networks. Cloudmark solutions protect more than one billion subscribers for the world’s largest networks, including AT&T, Comcast, MySpace, NTT, Swisscom and Time Warner Cable.

For more information, go here.

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Free Windows 7 in a Box – Access Win 7’s Features, Settings, Programs, and Tools Instantly

Drilling down through multiple layers of Windows menus to get to where you want to be, can be frustrating and time consuming.

Often, when I’m doing just that, I find myself muttering “there’s gotta be a better way” – and there is. Windows 7 in a Box, a very neat free system utility, has been designed to do away with this seemingly endless drilling.

Instead of hunting through countless menus and submenus, Windows 7 in a Box, provides easy access to hundreds of tools, functions, settings, folders and applications, available in Windows 7.

New and casual users, will love using this application. In one place, they will now have access to parts of the system that they might otherwise not have been aware of.

The interface is simple and intuitive, with little, if any, learning curve involved. The user simply activates a pull-down menu and selects the appropriate function.

The following graphics illustrate just how easy and functional Windows 7 in a Box can be:

Since Windows 7 in a Box does not require installation, it can easily be run from a USB drive as a portable application.

System requirements: Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit).

Note: While I haven’t tested this application in Vista, I understand that it does run perfectly well in that OS.

Download at: Download.com

A similar free application, designed specifically for Windows XP (Windows in a Box 2.0), is available.

Download at: Download.com

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Take Control of Your Home Page With Symbaloo

Popular guest writer Rick Robinette, has a knack for finding great free applications – applications that make the Internet experience smoother and more interesting. Read what Rick has to say about his most recent find – Symbaloo.

I don’t know what it is, but I have an obsession for program launchers and web launchers. I guess it comes from my past experience as an IT Manager where I found out early on that customizing an end users PC with shortcut toolbar menus to their apps, saved them and me a whole lot of headaches.

Even today, I find myself testing various launchers to see if I can make my PC and internet experience all that more efficient and easier. This is where Symbaloo comes in…

Symbaloo is an online cloud app that is designed to make your web experience more accessible. From my experience I have found that the everyday home computer user is a big creature of habit and will usually visit the same web sites over and over using their browser bookmarks or favorites.

Occasionally, this creature of habit will stray from the comfort zone and visit other places. If you are one of those creatures of habit, then Symbaloo will make your life a whole lot easier.

Symbaloo allows you to customize your very own start page (or home page) that tiles your favorites, rss feeds, etc… in the form of icons, on one page. You can even upload and use your own icons if you desire.

If you are familiar with “speed dial” in the Opera and in the Firefox browser (as an extension), then you will relate to Symbaloo. Only difference is that Symbaloo is much more attractive (and configurable) AND can be accessed from any PC where there is internet access.

For example, below is a small screenshot of my Symbaloo desktop page (that is still under construction).  When I launch my browser (Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer), this page is the first page I see. From my Symbaloo desktop page I can easily check all of my email accounts, my blog, perform searches, etc…

Another cool factor to Symbaloo is that you can make additional sub pages, that are conveniently tabbed across the top of Symbaloo. For example, I am currently working on a second page that will contain RSS feeds to everyone that is on the What’s On My PC blogroll.

There is a little bit of a learning curve to using Symbaloo, but once you get it down you will not regret it.  One area where I experienced brain lock was on how to edit, delete, or move/copy the tiles.  What you do is drag the tile to the middle of the tiled area (in the white) and it will automatically provide you with options to perform those tasks.

If you are a Firefox user, there is a Symbaloo Bookmarker browser extension that will allow you to rapidly (and automatically) bookmark sites to your Symbaloo desktop.

The only way to give this a try is to visit Symbaloo and play around with it.  Symbaloo is currently in beta; but, don’t let that stop you.  It has worked flawlessly for me. If you like it, sign up for a FREE account and start customizing your very own personalized internet launching point.

This is a guest post by Rick Robinette, who brings a background as a security/police officer professional, and as an information technology specialist to the Blogging world.

Why not pay a visit to Rick’s site at What’s On My PC. Like me, you’re sure to become a frequent visitor.

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What’s With the Weather? – Weather Pulse Desktop App Gives You the Lowdown

Here in Canada, the COLD, snow, ice, and blizzard season is underway. Like most Canadians, at this time of the year paying attention to the weather is more than just a pastime for me – more than just a topic of conversation.

Living in a climate of inhospitable weather conditions, and in this part of Canada, to define the winter as inhospitable, is a definite understatement. Being unprepared for changing conditions here, has the potential for deadly consequences.

So, any tool that can keep me informed of both current and expected weather conditions, is a more than welcome addition to my computers software list.

Popular guest writer Rick Robinette, has written a great article in which he discusses the benefits of one of his favorite weather tools – Weather Pulse.

Recently, one of my favorite weather monitoring applications (Weather Watcher Live) went from freeware to shareware. As indicated, I said “one of my favorites”.

Another favorite weather application of mine, that is FREE, is very good, is “ad free”, and has been in the loop for some time is “Weather Pulse”. I did not realize how much I missed this weather app until I started using it again.

Weather Pulse is an integrated weather monitoring utility that displays detailed weather conditions, in an attractive interface, for whatever location(s) you desire. With Weather Pulse you can get current conditions, 5 Day Forecasts, Hourly Forecasts, numerous radar image options, and tone alerts.

You can even set your wallpaper background to a weather radar image that will periodically update so that you know what the weather conditions are at any given time.

Weather Pulse also provides an interactive tray icon and desktop desklet that displays the current temperature. You can double click on either and the Weather Pulse application window will display.

Tray Icon

Desklet

If you want the weather at your fingertips, without ads, and is FREE (with no catches), then give Weather Pulse a try!

System requirements: Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98

Download at: Download.com

This is a guest post by Rick Robinette, who brings a background as a security/police officer professional, and as an information technology specialist to the Blogging world.

Why not pay a visit to Rick’s site at What’s On My PC. Like me, you’re sure to become a frequent visitor.

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